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Course-writing for home

students a specialized job

“The main thing is that you have to be orga-
nized,” says Harold Kirchener, Capilano College's
Dean of Career and Vocational Programs, about
writing a home study course for the Open Learn-
ing Institute. “You have to identify objectives

very clearly and then ensure that they are
followed through In the design of the course.”

Kirchner, writer for OL]
course, Construction 122 —
Residential Wiring: Instal-
lation and Maintenance.
explains why a distance
learning course writer has to
be much more careful about
learner difficulties than a
classroom instructor.

“In a classroom I have
immediate feedback from
the students and can make
instant adjustments for their
difficulties. In other words, |
can cover up flaws in lesson

preparation. But when I'm
writing the same course for
an OLI student, I have to
anticipate problems and try
to solve them through the
organization and clarity of
my written material. Course
writing is a great learning
experience, and it can't help
but improve my classroom
teaching,” he said.

Kirchner is one of 31
course writers on temporary
assignment to the Open
Learning Institute for

courses being readied for
September 1980 and January
1981. Of these, four are
preparing courses in Adult
Basic Education, [1 in
Career, Technical and Voca-
tional courses, and 16 in
University courses.

Writers are employed for
four to cight months, on fee-
for-service contracts. In
addition, OLI hires a course
consultant for cach course to
provide an external check on
the quality of course con-
tent.

Most OLI course writers
come from B.C. colleges.
universities and schools or

they are experts in voca-
tional ficlds. The institute
insists that course writers

have the same qualificanons
as would be required by

campus institutions offering
the same course.

“Our paramount cencern
is for the quality of our
courses,’' said David
Kaufman, OLIs Director of
Course Design. “Badly
written or second-rate
courses would defraud our
students, and they would
prevent our courses from
receiving recogition by other
educational institutions or
by the vocational and in-
dustrial fields our students
will be centering. Therefore
we have developed § an
elaborate system of quality
controls which each course
has to survive before being
offered to students.”

Most course writers,

CONTINUED ON PAGE C2

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